Suspect Convictions

The burning corpse of a 9-year old girl was found on a school playground in Davenport, Iowa, September 17, 1990.
Within days of the discovery of Jennifer Lewis’ charred body, police arrested Stanley Liggins, an African American who had just been released from prison. An Iowa jury convicted him and after 26-years behind bars, an appellate court has granted him a new trial.
The court’s decision was prompted by allegations of hidden evidence and potential police misconduct. Liggins will stand trial in May 2017. And once again, the question will be asked: Who killed Jennifer Lewis?
Veteran journalist Scott Reeder, who was at the crime scene the night Jennifer was killed, has conducted a massive investigation examining evidence in the case, interviewing witnesses and exploring the lives of both the victim and the accused. Troubling new developments have been uncovered. Reeder teamed with the NPR affiliate, WVIK, to produce this podcast: “Suspect Convictions.”

Clyde "Buddy" Spence will soon be released from prison. Scott Reeder visits him in prison and asks why he shot two people in a daycare center. One of his victims was holding a 3-year-old girl when she was shots. Reeder talks that child, now a mother in her 30s, about how the crime impacted her life.

On Dec. 7, 1988, Clyde “Buddy” Spence entered a Texas daycare center and shot two workers in front of dozens of screaming children. One worker, Joyce Marques, suffered three serious bullet wounds but survived. The other worker, her daughter in-law, Charlotte “Dawndy” Marques suffered two bullet wounds and died climbing a playground fence as she fled the gunman.

After three months on the lam, Spence was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Scott Reeder, then a cub reporter at the Galveston Daily News covered the 1989 trial of Spence, where he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison. The case has long haunted Reeder, a veteran journalist who now produces the hit podcast Suspect Convictions. Questions that he has asked over the years are: What impact have those two minutes of terror had on the community almost 30 years after the crime? Does a family ever reach closure after suffering such a loss? How has the trauma affected the children who witnessed the crime? And what becomes of man after 30 years in some of Texas’ most violent prisons?

Reeder returned to Galveston County and interviewed the woman wounded in the attack, the sisters of the person killed, one of the children narrowly missed by the bullets, detectives who worked the case and prosecutors who have kept him behind bars. He also visited Spence in the Texas prison where he is being prepared for release into society. The answers he received were surprising and go to the heart of society’ most challenging questions regarding grief, forgiveness and healing.

Twenty-nine years ago a gunman entered a Texas daycare center, killed one woman and severely wounded another. Scott Reeder covered the case back then and returned to Texas last month to see the crime's lasting impact. He talked to survivors, detectives and family members of the slain woman as they prepare for the killer being released.

On Dec. 7, 1988, Clyde “Buddy” Spence entered a Texas daycare center and shot two workers in front of dozens of screaming children. One worker, Joyce Marques, suffered three serious bullet wounds but survived. The other worker, her daughter in-law, Charlotte “Dawndy” Marques suffered two bullet wounds and died climbing a playground fence as she fled the gunman.

After three months on the lam, Spence was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Scott Reeder, then a cub reporter at the Galveston Daily News covered the 1989 trial of Spence, where he was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison. The case has long haunted Reeder, a veteran journalist who now produces the hit podcast Suspect Convictions. Questions that he has asked over the years are: What impact have those two minutes of terror had on the community almost 30 years after the crime? Does a family ever reach closure after suffering such a loss? How has the trauma affected the children who witnessed the crime? And what becomes of man after 30 years in some of Texas’ most violent prisons?

Reeder returned to Galveston County and interviewed the woman wounded in the attack, the sisters of the person killed, one of the children narrowly missed by the bullets, detectives who worked the case and prosecutors who have kept him behind bars. He also visited Spence in the Texas prison where he is being prepared for release into society. The answers he received were surprising and go to the heart of society’ most challenging questions regarding grief, forgiveness and healing.

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On this unexpected season finale of Suspect Convictions, we learn about some breaking news in the case, including large disagreements between Stanley Liggins and his attorney, and the actions that have been taken. We discuss whether Stanley is purposefully delaying the trial, or if he has legitimate reasons to delay. In the second half, Scott visits the jail where Stanley has been being held for the last three years.

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A month before Jennifer Lewis was killed, Stanley Liggins was arrested for sexually abusing another 9-year-old girl. This victim, now in her 30s, shares a chilling story of what happened to her that terrible day. Lawyers debate whether this prior bad act should be used in the upcoming murder trial. And a mother provides testimony about what she says Liggins told her.

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Today we’re looking at some of the broad issues that were raised by the case of Stanley Liggins Vs. the State of Iowa such as the exclusionary rule, which can block certain types of evidence from being presented in court if the court finds that they were obtained illegally by the police, how much prior bad acts should be allowed in as evidence against a suspect, as well as issues surrounding the death penalty.

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On today’s episode, Stanley Liggins wants to fire his defense team, so we discuss what that means for the upcoming trial. In addition, we talk about the paid informant involved in the Stanley Liggins case, and look at the defense strategies that may be used during the upcoming trial.

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This week, Scott sat down with several people behind other true-crime podcasts, to discuss some of the intricacies about the Stanley Liggins case, and dig into some angles that may not have been considered yet.

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For this episode, we go back to 1990, Stanley Liggins’ living situation at the time, and some promises that Stanley claims were made to him by police and not kept. We also talk about certain missing reports that could play a role in the upcoming trial and whether there could be other reports that were never turned over.

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Today’s episode discusses the preliminary hearings last week, how Stanley Liggins’ personal appearance has the potential to be a factor, why the podcast was cited as part of the reason of the change of the trial venue, why that doesn’t make sense, and the fact that Scott was subpoenaed for the case and what that means going forward.

This week, we sat down with a panel of guests to talk about the case. Both defense and prosecutor attorneys from the original case have agreed to discuss, and we’ve brought in veteran true-crime investigator and bestselling author Aphrodite Jones.

Panelists:

Aphrodite Jones: New York times bestselling author of “Cruel Sacrifice” and host of the TV show “True Crime with Aphrodite Jones.” AphroditeJones.com

Bill Davis: Former Scott County Attorney, prosecutor in first two trials.

Mike Tobey: Stanley Liggins 2nd defense attorney

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There are a lot of reasons that the Stanley Liggins case is far from a done deal. In this episode, we are talking about the other suspects, why their behavior is strange, why the jury won’t even know about a lot of the information we have, and how that could play into the final decision.

What role does the media play in a high-profile case like the one explored in Suspect Convictions? That is the question that this episode tackles.

Media coverage has always played a role in this case, from initial television and newspaper coverage, to talk show radio, and now, this podcast. Opinion pieces often mix with factual coverage in the public's mind, and it can get messy. How has that played a role in the Jennifer Ann Lewis case from the very beginning, and what role does this podcast play in the case?

There are many uncertainties surrounding the Stanley Liggins case. On this episode, we're looking into the psychology of a murderer, and what is going on in somebody's mind who might do something like this.

In addition, we address the difficulties around long-term memory, how memories change and morph over time, and what can and cannot be trusted in a testimonial, even of an eyewitness.

About a week after Jennifer was murdered, Scott County prosecutor Bill Davis decided to charge Stanley Liggins with murder. He was one of the only people involved who felt they had enough evidence to charge him, but decided to go ahead with it.

Bill Davis says they made the arrest more quickly than they usually would, because of the nature of the crime, and their conclusion that the suspect was a “danger to society.”

Suspect Convictions is a podcast from WVIK, an NPR affiliate, and Scott Reeder Reporting, covering the murder of 9-year old Jennifer Ann Lewis, and the case against the man accused of murdering her, Stanley Liggins.

Stanley has tried and convicted twice for the murder. Both convictions were overturned. He will go to trial for a 3rd time this May, and is currently being held in a Scott County, Iowa jail.

The burning corpse of a 9-year old girl was found on a school playground in Davenport, Iowa, September 17, 1990.

Within days of the discovery of Jennifer Lewis’ charred body, police arrested Stanley Liggins, an African American who had just been released from prison. An Iowa jury convicted him and after 26-years behind bars, an appellate court has granted him a new trial.

The court’s decision was prompted by allegations of hidden evidence and potential police misconduct. Liggins will stand trial in May 2017. And once again, the question will be asked: Who killed Jennifer Lewis?

Veteran journalist Scott Reeder, who was at the crime scene the night Jennifer was killed, has conducted a massive investigation examining evidence in the case, interviewing witnesses and exploring the lives of both the victim and the accused. Troubling new developments have been uncovered. Reeder teamed with the NPR affiliate, WVIK, to produce this podcast: “Suspect Convictions.”